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..the
Hajj creates an opportunity for non Muslims and people who don't
know much about Islam -- particularly those people who have
a totally negative view of Muslims.. that this is a
gathering of two million faithful people in a joyous
time in the 21st century.. |
Those
were the words of Dr. David Long, author of numerous books on the
Middle East including "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,"
when he discussed
the Hajj with SUSRIS last year. He shared the view that
the annual pilgrimage, one of the pillars of Islamic faith, is
important to all people not just the world's billion plus
Muslims:
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..With
all the strife and all the suffering going on in the world
it is just absolutely amazing. It shows as much as
anything can, the collective heart of the largest
religious group in the world -- 1.2 billion people, more
of them than anyone else. That in itself is not the
lesson, the lesson is to get along in this world with
anybody you need a sense of perspective. This is a great
way of gaining perspective by looking at how so many
people do an act of piety and religious obligation in an
atmosphere of joy every year regardless of what's going on
in Iraq, or anywhere, and I think that would be a lesson
to contemplate.. |
Today as
pilgrims assemble in Saudi Arabia in preparation for the
commencement of the Hajj on Sunday we provide for your
consideration a compilation of online resources to help you
understand this event: overviews, background, commentary and
related links.
Muslims
Mark Hajj Season with Pilgrimage to Mecca
By Amin Fekrat
2 January 2006
The annual season of Hajj is now under way. Every Muslim
who is financially able to do so is obliged under the Koran, the
holy Muslim scripture, to make the pilgrimage to Mecca during Hajj
at least once in his or her lifetime. The season culminates on the
"Id-Al Adha," the festival of sacrifice, which this year
falls on Tuesday, January 11 and continues until January 14. The
arduous annual Hajj pilgrimage takes place this year against the
background of the continuing war in Iraq and the increasing
militancy on the part of the Islamic extremist groups against
broader interests of the West and of particularly, the United
States.
 Call to Prayer: "God is most great, god
is most great," the muezzin says in calling the faithful to
prayer, "I bear witness to the oneness of god, I bear witness
to the oneness of god."
At the muezzin's call, Muslims turn toward Mecca and prostrate
themselves before God in humility to say their daily prayer.
It was in Mecca around the year 570 that Muhammad, the prophet
of Islam, was born. When he was 40, he began to guide his people
and teach them the oneness of God. By doing so, the Islamic faith
teaches, Muhammad completed a tradition begun by Adam and followed
by a succession of prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, in
order that humanity may live in peace and in covenant with God.
 Soon after Muhammad started his teachings, he asked his fellow
clansmen from the elite tribe of Quraysh, to abandon their
practices of worshiping idols and ponder the intricacies of
creation that, he reasoned, could come from one God only. But
faced with defiance and persecution, Muhammad fled Mecca, his
birthplace, with a handful of his followers and journeyed to
Medina, then an oasis 320 kilometers north of Mecca. The flight,
or Hegira, of the prophet of Islam in the year 622 marks the
beginning of Muslim calendar and an era profoundly transforming
the course of human history.
Muhammad thrived in Medina. Eight years after he fled Mecca, he
returned in triumph to witness the removal of the idols from Ka'ba,
the House of God. Muslim tradition has it that Abraham, the
Patriarch, built Ka'ba as the House of God. Located in one corner
of Ka'ba is the "black stone," or Hajar-Al-Aswad, which
Muslims believe was given by God to Abraham as a reward for his
faithfulness. The stone represents the covenant between God and
humans.
The Great Patriarch, in a test of his faith and rectitude, was
ordered by God to sacrifice his son, Ismael. However, God,
satisfied that Abraham had passed the test of faith, offered a ram
to be sacrificed in place of his son at the last minute. The
festival of sacrifice commemorates these events.
Abraham, writes Bruce Feiler, a New York Times best-selling
author, "remains a defining figure for half the world's
believers. Muslims invoke him in their daily prayers, as do Jews.
He appears repeatedly in the Christian liturgy. The most
mesmerizing story of Abraham's life - his offering a son to God -
plays a pivotal role in the holiest week of the Christian year, at
Easter. The story is also recited at the start of the holiest
fortnight in Judaism, on Rosh Hashanah."
For over 13 centuries Muslims the world over have looked
forward to the day when they would be able to set foot in Mecca, a
barren valley surrounded by harsh hills in today's Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims to Mecca start their spiritual journey stripped of the
trappings of class, power and status. Men wear the
"Ihram," a two-piece seamless cloth cover. Women
pilgrims wear a head to toe white garment that reveals only their
faces and hands. The pilgrims then head toward Ka'ba chanting the
"Talbiyah," a prayer to Allah.
The pilgrims chant, "here we come o Allah, no partner have
you. Blessings are yours, the kingdom, too."
After reaching Ka'ba, the pilgrims begin their
Tawaf, a ritual
in which they walk seven times counterclockwise around Ka'ba, as
the American writer Herman Melville put it, "to
circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon."
Then they make the "Sa'ay," the trip between the
hills of Safa and Marwa, seven times. A trip to Minah takes place
on the eighth day of the Hajj. The following morning the pilgrims
make a trip to the plain of Arafat. Here Muslims perform the
"standing" rituals, praying from noon until sunset near
the site of Muhammad's farewell address. At night, the pilgrims
retreat to a place called "Muzdalifah." Then they return
to Minah for three days, where they cast stones at the three
pillars representing the Satan, signifying his rejection and what
he stands for.
Source: voanews.com
Reprinted with permission
 Haj Preparations Complete
Galal Fakkar, Arab News
All preparations have been completed for Haj,
which is likely to begin on Jan. 8, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul
Majeed announced yesterday as more than one million pilgrims
arrived for the annual event.
Saudi says deploys record security network for
haj
Reuters
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it would deploy its biggest
security operation for this year's haj pilgrimage, when more than
two million Muslims congregate for rites that end in tragedy for
some every year. At least 2.5 million pilgrims are expected
to arrive in the Muslim holy city of Mecca from all over the world
by Sunday when the five-day ritual, which is a duty for every
able-bodied Muslim at least once in a lifetime, begins.
The
Trip of a Lifetime: Detroit area Muslims
get ready for pilgrimage, or make do at home
by Shabina S. Khatri, Free Press Staff Writer
Safwan Badr's friends and family consider him
to be one of the lucky ones. On Monday, the West Bloomfield
resident and his 70-year-old mother caught a plane to Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, where they will join millions of Muslims from around the
world in performing the hajj.
Strict health checks await Mecca pilgrims
Saudi authorities are working hard to ensure
Muslim pilgrims flocking to join the annual pilgrimage to Mecca
are disease-free and pose no threat to the oil-rich kingdom's
security.
CNN to Broadcast Haj Live
K.S. Ramkumar, Arab News
For the ninth consecutive year, CNN will present in-depth, live
coverage of the Haj. Nearly 1.5 million pilgrims from the world over have already
arrived in the Kingdom for the annual pilgrimage, which will see
more than 2.5 million Muslims undertaking the spiritual journey to
Makkah. CNN anchor Hala Gorani will present live updates and reports
from the Haj for six days beginning Saturday. In addition, CNN
will broadcast a half-hour special �Haj: The Essential
Journey� on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
�Pilgrims� Security Our Top
Priority�
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
Saudi authorities have given top priority to the security of
pilgrims to help them perform their religious rites with peace and
tranquility. As many as 1,400 security officers will be deployed
at the Jamrat bridge in Mina to control the crowds during the
stoning ritual over four days of the Haj.
Haj Security Top Priority:
Naif
Samir Al-Saadi & P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab
News
The Kingdom will deploy as many as 60,000
security officers in Makkah and other holy sites during Haj to
ensure the welfare and safety of pilgrims, Interior Minister
Prince Naif announced.
Civil Defense Gears Up for
Haj Operation
P.K. Abdul Ghafour & Abdul Maqsood Mirza,
Arab News
The Civil Defense Department has readied a
fleet of advanced helicopters to take part in firefighting,
rescue, search and reconnaissance operations during this Haj
season, Col. Jameel Muhammad Arbaeen, director of the department
in Makkah, said yesterday.
Officials Told to Serve
Pilgrims
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah
yesterday welcomed the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who have
arrived for Haj and urged officials to provide the guests of God
with all required facilities and services. King Abdullah made this
comment while chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting in Riyadh, its
last before the Haj, which begins Jan. 8. Makkah Governor and
Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Prince Abdul Majeed said
recently that the government has completed all preparations for
the five-day annual event.
 Massive
Plan for Cleaning Holy Sites
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
"..Saudi authorities have made massive
arrangements for the tedious task of cleaning Makkah and the holy
sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa during the Haj.. ..Sheikh
Saleh Al-Hussayen, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques
Affairs, yesterday handed over the new kiswa (Kaaba cover) to
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheibi, the keeper of the Holy Kaaba, during
a ceremony at the Kiswa Factory in Um Al-Joud near Makkah.
The Kaaba will be decorated by the new kiswa on Dul Hijjah 9 (Jan.
9) when pilgrims stand in prayer on the plain of Arafat in the
climax of Haj.."
The
Hajj and Its Impact on Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World - By
David E. Long - SUSRIS IOI - Jan 19, 2005
The
Hajj in Perspective: A Conversation with David Long - SUSRIS
Interview - Jan 23, 2005
Pilgrims
Bid Farewell to Makkah - SUSRIS IOI - Jan. 25, 2005
A Hajj Diary - By Faiza
Saleh Ambah - SUSRIS IOI:
Photo
credits:
Headline image - Pilgrims circle the Ka'bah in Mecca. (Photo by
S.M. Amin/Aramco/PADIA)
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